Posada sits again; Pettitte eyes another rehab start

ARLINGTON, Texas — New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada won’t be back behind the plate until at least Sunday’s series finale at Texas.

Bothered by concussion symptoms. Posada said Friday he was ready to return to the starting lineup. But manager Joe Girardi was more cautious, saying Posada would at most be a pinch hitter Friday.

"I’m good," Posada said. "I wanted to play today. I could have played today."

Posada was hit Tuesday night by a foul ball. Trainer Gene Monahan wants him to take a couple more days off from catching.

"We’ve seen what has happened to some of these guys who’ve recently got concussions, how long it takes to come back," Girardi said. "It’s scary. ... Our concern is if he gets hit again, do we lose him for an extended period of time?"

Posada said he "felt weird" after Tuesday night’s game against Baltimore.

APCatcher Jorge Posada and pitcher Andy Pettitte are still on the mend for the Yankees.

"But other than that, I didn’t experience anything more than normal headaches," he said. "Nothing to be concerned about. I feel fine. I felt fine Wednesday, felt fine yesterday."

Posada said that after previous concussions, he had headaches and would "get a little foggy and stuff, but I haven’t felt that way this time."

Girardi also said left-hander Andy Pettitte will make one more rehabilitation start before rejoining the rotation. Pettitte hasn’t pitched in a major league game since July 18 because of a strained left groin.

Pettitte looked sharp in a rehab outing Thursday for Double-A Trenton in an Eastern League playoff game against New Hampshire, throwing four shutout innings and 51 pitches.

Girardi wants Pettitte to make another start Tuesday, either for a minor league team or in a simulated game against Yankees hitters. Girardi would like Pettitte to throw five innings and 80 pitches.

"I’m extremely encouraged," Girardi said. "If he can make one more rehab start for us, after that he can really possibly be ready for us."